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May 30, 2008
You Don't Have To Be Rich: Best Cheap Four-Banger Convertibles
By Jen Dunnaway
Editor
Car and Driver is running a list of what it calls "frugal" summer convertibles. Frankly, I’ve always had a fantasty of picking up a junkyard ragtop and running it for a summer or two, so I was stoked, but when I ran down the list what I found is that these nice new cars like the $29,680 VW Eos and the $38,475 Audi TT are really only "frugal" for those who have a lot of money to throw around in the first place. If you’re a little strapped, or maybe the type whose summer roadtrips would have to be cancelled to make the monthly car payment on a new convertible (not to mention the insurance premium), you might enjoy CarDomain’s alternate list of best junk convertibles for summer cruisin’. To keep costs down, we’ve made sure they’re all available as 4-cylinders, ensuring that you can drive all the way to the beach no matter what state you live in. They’re also all four-seaters so you can take all your cash-strapped deadbeat friends with you as well. Think of it as summer drop-top fun for the rest of us! See my faves below the jump, and don’t forget to add your own in the comments!
1. Chrysler LeBaron, Dodge 400 and 600. I’ve always loved those early Mopar "Super K" convertibles, up to and including the later, bigger E-body Dodges. Make sure you get a low-mileage one, or plan on an engine swap, because that 2.2 L 4-cyl has a reputation for popping before it reaches 125K. But it means that these can usually be had for super-cheap. Here’s one for sale in Michigan!
2. VW Rabbit. This was the ultimate sorority-girl car in the 80’s, but these days it’s a sturdy and sensible gas-saver for anyone. Expect to pay a little more for these, since they depreciate slowly. There’s a nice one up for grabs in Washington State.
3. Ford Mustang. The 4-cylinder fox-bodies aren’t as gutless as you might think. My sister’s boyfriend has one, and we’ve all had a total riot cruising around in it. As he says, it’s all about momentum. Someone’s gonna get one cheap in Illinois.
4. Chevy Cavalier. The 80’s and early 90’s Cavaliers and sister Sunbirds tend to be the cheapest, and a lot of them come with a V6. The 4-cyl is glitchy as all hell, so make sure you’re a fan of tinkering over electrical problems before purchasing. Here’s a later-model 4-cyl that looks like it could go for cheap!
5. Toyota Celica Sunchaser. Ok, so it’s not a factory convertible, and I wouldn’t normally recommend a conversion that’s advertised as "Rare & Collectible" for an inexpensive summer runabout, but cheap Japanese convertibles are kind of hard to come by and this one’s just sitting there at 750 bucks with no bids. Tempting? Toyota later made a few factory convertible Celicas: check out this GTS on a freshly-rebuilt drivetrain!
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SpeedCanHurt
Jun 4, 2008 at 12:30 pm
“…costs $45 bucks to fill…” – Wow, Americans really complain a lot. I drive a 94 Camry down here in Australia and it costs a minimum of $120 to fill. Puts things in perspective, huh?
Anyway, best thing about all these cars are they’re so cheap that you can afford to work on them, for convertibles. Beats the hell out of buying something reliable or fast and converting it into a convertible.
i_luv_dusty
Jun 3, 2008 at 5:47 pm
“that 2.2 L 4-cyl has a reputation for popping before it reaches 125K”?
.
What the bloody heck are you talking about? Those motors have lasted longer than 200K without any major work.
GTwildfire
Jun 3, 2008 at 3:38 pm
yeah, yeah I guess a Miata’s a good choice.
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…if you’re a chick.
ghandouram
Jun 3, 2008 at 5:38 am
it seems that at least two of the most fun for the sun four bangers are being left out here..
the absolute fun mobiles : the early mazda miata !
1.6-1.8 inline 4s
five speed on the floor
rear wheel drive
and the mid eighties- early nineties 3 series bimmers (four cylinder ragtops if available
both of them will turn heads no matter what their color is,easy on the pocket(particularly the mazda)
happy summer driving … every body!
Pressed_Ham
Jun 3, 2008 at 3:20 am
the point is, convertibles are awful unless they’re hardtop, but I’ll take ANY car right now, so im not complaining
woodrowz
Jun 3, 2008 at 2:04 am
hell ya!! I have the exact Cavalier w/ 3.1 V6. I love that thing.
Anonymous
Jun 2, 2008 at 9:10 pm
WTF IS SIZZLERS AND GET A NEW CAR YOU RETARD!!!!
Secret Squirrel
Jun 2, 2008 at 6:12 pm
I didn’t see the qualifying dollar amount cutoff, but a couple more for under $2500 you can still find convertibles such as the 2.4L Mitsubishi Eclipses Spyders that still get ~25MPG if you don’t lead foot them. The Pontiac Sunfire 4cyl for sure, latest generation.
ram
Jun 2, 2008 at 1:50 pm
All of those on my list (V earlier V) are available as a convertible with a 4-cylinder. Don’t you guys know your cars…
GTwildfire
Jun 2, 2008 at 2:02 am
Yeah, we’re talking convertibles, and my first statement applied to convertibles… Camaro or Firebird convertibles.
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Plus, if you can have a 6 cylinder that gets mileage similar to one of these 4 bangers, but outperforms them… why choose an inefficient anemic box?
Bobby
May 31, 2008 at 6:00 pm
I drive a 98 Cavalier Z24 vert with the 2.4L 4-banger, and I freakin’ love it!! lol and although it costs $45 bucks to fill, it does surprisingly well on gas. Best of all: only 4 grand on ebay, great condition, and only 93,000 miles!
Dieselabstimmen
May 31, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Convertibles, people.
We are talking four-bangers too.
ram
May 31, 2008 at 2:23 am
Here are some other possibilities: 1991 Dodge Shadow, 1996 Chrysler Sebring, 1991 Geo Metro, 1990 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, or 1990 Saab 900. All of these fit your requirements. You could find them pretty cheap somewhere.
GTwildfire
May 31, 2008 at 1:57 am
The 3.4 Litre V6 in the early 4th gen Firebirds and Camaros gets around 30 MPG on the highway and looks a hell of a lot better and would be more fun to drive than any of these. Better yet,it would leave them all behind at the light.